The Tribune

Jacobi Bain completed his freshman season with the Gold Rush men’s tennis team at Xavier University of Louisiana as the ITA NAIA South Region Rookie of the Year.

Bain, a six-foot, one-inch southpaw, was joined by Gold Rush team-mate Santiago Perez, who was selected as the Senior Player of the Year.

While Perez, who hails from Pereira, Colombia, compiled a 21-1 win-loss record in singles and 17-4 in doubles as XULA completed the season with a 20-6 record, their first 20-win season of the modern era (1994-present), Bain went 20-7 in signals and 26-9 in doubles.

Bain and Ramirez were also the NAIA doubles runners-up at the ITA Cup. And Bain also teamed up with Megh Pastel where they earned a no. 20 ranking in the ITA NAIA doubles rankings.

The XULA will announce the national winners of these awards on Thursday, but Bain said he’s excited to be the fourth XULA man, all in the last six seasons, to win the rookie regional award.

“I feel pretty good about it. It’s a great accomplishment to have,” said an elated Bain. “It was something that I was aiming for going into my first college year, so I felt pretty good about achieving the award.”

Looking back at his season as a business management major, Bain admitted that he had some hiccups as a college freshman, but he managed to make the necessary adjustments as he went along during the season.

“I think I had a pretty good season overall,” Bain said. “I may have lost two matches, but I definitely didn’t lose them in a row. So I was there fighting every day trying to get at my best. I think I did a pretty good job.”

As the regional Rookie of the Year, the award turned out to be the highlight of his season. But he noted that on the court, beating their arch-rival William Carey, 4-1, was what stood out the most.

In that tie, Bain won both doubles and singles.

Throughout the season, he was normally the first Gold Rush player on the court so he didn’t get a chance to clinch any victories for XULA.

But losing 4-3 in the Nationals turned out to be the lowest point for Bain, who got beat 6-4 in doubles, but won his singles 6-4, 6-2. “That was a tough pill to swallow because we were playing so well,” Bain stated.

Bain, the 19-year-old son of Marion and Bradley Ban, is currently in Bradenton, Florida training at the Inspiration Tennis Academy as he looks to get better for next year. “Next year, I’m just looking forward to playing higher in the line-up. I want to be able to do my best to help my team succeed,” he said. “After winning this Rookie of the Year award, I’m inspired to get better and perform at a higher level when I return in August.”